Illinois Governor JB Pritzker has disclosed that he has taken a GLP-1 medication for the past two years after being diagnosed with diabetes.
The 61-year-old Democrat said in a CBS interview on Monday that he has lost 80 pounds since beginning the injections and now feels “a whole lot different and a whole lot better.”
Pritzker said he has long understood the health risks linked to being overweight, particularly after his father died of a heart attack at the age of 39.
“He was actually quite an active person, even though he was overweight, and so he was on a tennis court and had a heart attack, and my mother was there, and he died in her arms,” the governor recalled.
He said the demands of public office contributed to further weight gain. His size has also made him a frequent target of mockery from President Donald Trump.
“Pritzker, I don’t know, he’s too busy eating,” Trump said at a 2024 presidential campaign rally. “He wants to eat all the time.”
Pritzker’s doctor prescribed the medication after blood tests conducted two years ago showed that he had diabetes.
“My doctor said, ‘Oh, no, you’ll never come off of it. You’re going to have to do this the rest of your life, and I recommend that you take a GLP-1,’” Pritzker said.
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker speaks at the National Action Network Convention in New York on April 9
J.B. Pritzker and his family, daughter Teddi, wife M.K. and son Donny, take the stage during the Illinois inaugural ceremony at the Bank of Springfield Center Monday, Jan. 14, 2019
He said he dropped two pounds during his first week on the drug and quickly noticed that his appetite had changed.
“All of a sudden, on the third day, I was like, you know, actually, I don’t need to eat that thing,” Pritzker said.
“But it was the strangest feeling. Now, I’m not suggesting everything changed in a week. It didn’t happen that way.”
GLP-1 medications imitate a naturally occurring gut hormone. They help control blood sugar and reduce appetite by slowing digestion and increasing feelings of fullness. The drugs are used to treat type 2 diabetes and, in some formulations, obesity.
Popular brands include Ozempic and Wegovy, which contain semaglutide, along with Mounjaro and Zepbound, which contain tirzepatide, a related dual GIP/GLP-1 medication.
The governor has also announced that Illinois will cover GLP-1 medications through its state insurance plan for 55,000 civil servants. He said the treatment could ultimately save money by helping prevent other illnesses.
In addition to taking the medication, Pritzker said he walks four miles each morning along Lake Michigan to help maintain his weight loss.
When asked whether he was improving his image ahead of a possible 2028 presidential campaign, Pritzker replied: “I’ve been driven my whole life to lose weight. The fact that I am now able to do it because this GLP-1 became available is truly, like, I mean, it’s something that has meant a lot to me.”
JB Pritzker, flanked by his wife Mary Kathryn, speaks during a rally in Chicago in June 2025
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker at a White House meeting in 2018
‘I have not made any decisions about what I might do in the future. I can tell you I want to be the governor of the state of Illinois for a while longer, and I’m running for reelection.’
The latest Democratic 2028 polling puts Pritzker well behind the early front-runners, despite persistent speculation that the billionaire Illinois governor could mount a White House bid.
A September Bowling Green State University/YouGov poll had Kamala Harris on 17 percent, narrowly ahead of Pete Buttigieg on 16 percent, with Gavin Newsom and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez both on 14 percent. Pritzker was not among the candidates registering support in the poll’s leading tier.
A separate Harvard CAPS/Harris survey earlier this month placed Pritzker at 4 percent, behind Harris on 42 percent, Newsom on 18 percent, Buttigieg and Ocasio-Cortez on 9 percent apiece, and Josh Shapiro and Jon Ossoff on 7 percent.
